“So lovely to meet you,” Meg said, stepping forward to take her hand. There was slight hesitation in her voice as she said, “Any friend of Lucas is a friend of ours.”
“Thank you, Your Grace,” Diana said, but though she smiled, Lucas could hear the tension in her voice, see the falseness of her expression.
He’d grown so accustomed to her utter confidence that this hesitation hit him in the gut. She was truly uncertain around his friends and he wanted her not to be, even though he doubted this kind of meeting would occur often.
Because this was temporary. Nothing more. Though that was getting harder to think.
“You know, Lucas, I recall this house having a wonderfully fine garden,” Meg said.
“Oh, yes, it’s so lovely,” Diana agreed, and her enthusiasm was not forced with those words.
Meg smiled. “Perhaps Miss Oakford and I could take a turn there. It will give you gentlemen time to catch up.”
Simon glanced at his wife and a world of understanding flowed between them. Diana looked at Lucas, and he wished it could be so easy with her. It was and it wasn’t, for there were walls there that did not exist between Simon and Meg. They’d torn down those walls a year or more ago.
“I would like that,” Diana said slowly.
“Excellent!” Meg said. “I hope you know a bit about flowers, for I am terrible when it comes to horticulture.”
Diana laughed as they exited the room together. “I know a little, Your Grace.”
When they were gone, Simon moved to shut the door behind them and then he turned to Lucas with a shake of his head. “I keep thinking I must pinch myself—you are truly standing in front of me. How long has it been?”
Lucas bent his head in shame. “Years, I’m afraid.”
“And over six months since anyone in our circle had a letter,” Matthew added as he sat down and sprawled his long legs out in front of himself. “We have taken bets on what kept you away, you know.”
“If I told you, you would not believe me.”
Simon arched a brow. “Perhaps that’s true. Someone will eventually wheedle it out of you, you know. Now that you’re back.”
Lucas stiffened. When he wrote to Simon, he hadn’t been thinking so far ahead as to consider himself “back”. He’d been thinking about what he’d lost by walking away from his friends, of course. He’d been needing to spend time with people who understood him. He’d also hoped they could help him make this strange reentry into Society that was meant to help his case.
But being “back”? That felt…so very odd.
“Don’t give us that look,” Matthew said. “That you’re thinking of running. Meg was right when she said it was nearly impossible to keep everyone from crashing down your door to see you. If they think you’re going to bolt, you may be kidnapped and hogtied.”
Lucas shook his head. “I would not want to see how that turned out. No, I’m not going to run. But I’m so behind on everything that has happened. Will you fill me in?”
Simon shot him a look, like he knew Lucas was avoiding subjects that needed to be broached. But he drew a breath and began talking. Lucas leaned back, reveling in the stories of the recent marriages of James, Simon, Graham, Ewan and Baldwin. His heart hurt when he realized how ill their friend Kit’s father was. He laughed when he heard how Robert was up to his old ways, wondered along with his friends why Hugh was in such an ill humor and stared at Matthew, who hid his pain well. But not well enough that he couldn’t see it, even years after the death of Matthew’s fiancée.
There it all was, laid out before him, and he felt an ache that he had been so separate from it all.
“You have been busy since I left,” he muttered as he pushed to his feet and paced to the window.
“You too,” Simon said. “Considering the limp.”
Lucas faced him. He’d thought he’d hidden that fairly well. His leg had not bothered him as much lately—he was getting stronger by the day.
“And then there’s the girl,” Matthew added, locking eyes with him. “Seems you’ve had your own adventures since we last saw you. I think more than any of us put together.”
Lucas shook his head slowly. “I know I can trust you,” he said. “I know that even if I haven’t shown it as of late.”
Simon exchanged a brief glance with Matthew before he said, “You can. And judging from the fact that you reached out after so long, it makes me think you need to. You needus. Why?”
Lucas ran a hand through his hair. It felt oddly short, and he shook out his fingers before he said, “I…I’m a spy.”
There was silence in the room for a beat, two, and then Matthew got up suddenly and laughed. “I said it, didn’t I? And everyone said, ‘Don’t be foolish, Tydale.’ But here he’s admitted to it. Damn, why didn’t I make a wager?”
